San Francisco parks worker ‘devastated’ he ran over sunbather

SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco parks worker who ran over a woman as she lay with her baby and dog in a park says he thought he had hit something, but didn’t realize it was a person until he was arrested.

An attorney for 57-year-old Thomas Burnoski told the San Francisco Chronicle his client was devastated by when he learned the mother was fatally struck.

Burnoski says in a statement that his actions caused the death of 35-year-old Christine Svanemyr, “and there is nothing I can do to bring her back.” He called what happened in the Bernal Heights park “a tragic accident.”

Burnoski was arrested on Sept. 5 on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit and run.

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.